Chrenkoff

"Chrenkin' off" on the Right side of life since 1972 - - -
The news and views from Down Under on politics, international affairs and culture

Sunday, December 05, 2004

Watch Pakistan

As George Bush receives Pakistani president Pervez Musharraf in the White House, I'm hearing an interesting rumor that adds some spice to the reports of some recent political and military developments within Pakistan, including the pull-backs of Pakistani army and security forces away from the lawless tribal border areas of the country. As UPI reports:

"Last month, Musharraf caused speculation across Pakistan about a possible deal with the secular opposition when he released a prominent opposition leader from jail after eight years and telephoned another for condoling his father's death.

"Political observers, both in Pakistan and the United States, also guessed that Washington must have used its influence on Musharraf to show leniency to those opposition parties who share Musharraf's liberal views and his desire for close ties to the West.

"The observers also said that Washington is persuading Musharraf to restore more democracy and accommodate opposition leaders -- particularly former prime ministers Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Shairf -- in his new political setup.

"But Bush's unflinching support for Musharraf proves those speculations wrong."

Well, maybe not quite - one thing that Musharraf just might possibly be discussing with the more secular opposition is the likelihood of their support for allowing some American military forces to enter Pakistan to help crush Al Qaeda and capture bin Laden.